Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Minnesota State Fair is upon us, and with it is its Fine Arts Show. A juried competition, it draws thousands of entrants in 8 categories and is seen by over a quarter of a million people, making it arguably Minnesota's biggest art exhibit of the year. Last night's preview saw a couple of hundred sweaty artists and friends basking in the heat and humidity (and the glory!) After a couple of down years the show has been rejuvenated: the painting (which is usually pretty bad) was very good overall, as were watercolors and printmaking. Sculpture had its strongest showing in memory, and a great showing of photography made the show a celebration rather than an obligation. Some memorable scenes:

Traditional media: Collage, printmaking, drawing and even a palladium print…